AP-local dynamic switching

ABSTRACT

A technique for implementing AP-local dynamic switching involves Layer 2 switching. This may be accomplished by providing data associated with wireless stations to an AP sufficient to enable the AP to determine whether traffic from a particular wireless station should be locally switched. Alternatively, the wireless station may be able to determine whether to locally switch traffic based upon the traffic itself. For example, it may be desirable to AP-locally switch voice traffic to avoid latency, which is particularly detrimental to voice transmissions such as voice-over-IP. Traffic that is not to be switched locally is Layer 2 tunneled upstream.

BACKGROUND

An access point (AP) is a device used by wireless clients to connect toa network. An AP functions as a standalone entity in someimplementations and functions in cooperation with distribution hardwarein other implementations. Distribution hardware may include a wirelessswitch used to manage APs and provide network-connectivity to wirelessclients. A wireless domain may refer to a group of wireless switchesthat are configured to exchange relevant information, and using thisinformation make informed decisions. A known device is a station (e.g.,a wireless AP or client device) that is part of a network wirelessinstallation.

Trapeze Networks, Inc. (Trapeze), uses a MOBILITY POINT® (MP®) APs in aMOBILITY DOMAIN™ wireless domain. An MP® AP is coupled to a MOBILITYEXCHANGE® (MX®) wireless switch. Trapeze uses MOBILITY DOMAIN™ to referto a collection of MX® switches. This collection of MX® switches sharesRF environment and station association information. This information isused by the MX® switches to support features including by way of examplebut not limitation roaming, auto channel selection, rogue AP detection,intrusion detection and/or the launching of countermeasures. Someadditional details regarding the Trapeze-specific implementation isprovided by way of example but not limitation, including novel featuresthat are discussed later in this application, in the provisionalapplication to which this application claims priority.

In a typical implementation, switching is performed, as may be expected,by the switch. However, it is also possible to perform native switchingat an AP. It is a non-trivial problem to coordinate AP-local switchingwith centralized control. It is also a non-trivial problem to providehybrid switching, that is, AP-local switching combined with switching atthe switch.

These are but a subset of the problems and issues associated withwireless access point authentication, and are intended to characterizeweaknesses in the prior art by way of example. The foregoing examples ofthe related art and limitations related therewith are intended to beillustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related artwill become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of thespecification and a study of the drawings.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

A technique for implementing AP-local dynamic switching involves Layer 2switching. This may be accomplished by providing data associated withwireless stations to an AP sufficient to enable the AP to determinewhether traffic from a particular wireless station should be locallyswitched. Alternatively, the wireless station may be able to determinewhether to locally switch traffic based upon the traffic itself. Forexample, it may be desirable to AP-locally switch voice traffic to avoidlatency, which is particularly detrimental to voice transmissions suchas voice-over-IP. Traffic that is not to be switched locally is Layer 2tunneled upstream.

The proposed system can offer, among other advantages, efficientutilization of bandwidth, reduced latency, network efficiency,reliability. This and other advantages of the techniques describedherein will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a readingof the following descriptions and a study of the several figures of thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the claimed subject matter are illustrated in thefigures. However, the embodiments and figures are illustrative ratherthan limiting; they provide examples of the claimed subject matter.

FIG. 1 depicts an example of a system including an untethered accesspoint (UAP) mesh.

FIG. 2 depicts an example of a AP-local dynamic switching system.

FIGS. 3A to 3D depict by way of example but not limitation variousfactors that could be considered when determining whether to switchlocally at an AP or at a switch.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of an AP capable of AP-local dynamicswitching.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of an example of a method for AP-localdynamic switching.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, several specific details are presented toprovide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the claimed subjectmatter. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, thatthe claimed subject matter can be practiced without one or more of thespecific details, or in combination with other components, etc. In otherinstances, well-known implementations or operations are not shown ordescribed in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of various embodiments,of the claimed subject matter.

FIG. 1 depicts an example of a system 100 including an untethered accesspoint (UAP) mesh. In the example of FIG. 1, the system 100 includes anetwork 102, a wireless switch 104, one or more APs 106-1 to 106-N(referred to collectively as APs 106), and a UAP mesh 108. It should benoted that while an overlay switching model is in some ways replaced bythe techniques described herein, it may be desirable to prevent theimplementation of local switching from removing any functionality of theoverlay model.

An overlay switch model includes APs that tunnel to an upstream switch(e.g., an MX®), allowing the switch to perform complex policy andforwarding decisions locally. Centralizing switching to an upstreamswitch has allowed AP switching code to remain relatively simple(supporting the Thin-AP model). The AP at least knows it is on a subnetfrom which the upstream switch is reachable. The advantages of theoverlay model include keeping the AP code and configuration simple;allowing a wireless network to be deployed over an arbitrary accessnetwork connecting the AP to the upstream switch (since client trafficis tunneled, it does not see the access network, so stations on the APcan be on completely different LANs than those available to the AP); andswitches can form tunnels between themselves and send client traffic inthose tunnels to further extend the choice of VLANs any given client onany AP may join. However, the overlay network suffers from thefollowing: all traffic must pass through the upstream switch, whichmight be very far from the AP; complications involving MTU and othermiddle box issues when tunneling traffic; and not taking advantage ofthe distributed forwarding computational power available at the APs (ingeneral, designs that push forwarding issues to the edge scale better).

The network 102 may include an Internet protocol (IP) network. In anembodiment, the network 102 is a wired backbone to which the wirelessswitch 104 is coupled. However, the network 102 may alternativelyrepresent the network, or any other network, to which a backbone networkis coupled or which acts as an alternative to a backbone network. Thus,the network 102 could include, for example, the Internet.

The wireless switch 104 is typically wire connected to the APs 106.Thus, the “wireless” switch could be thought of, depending upon theimplementation, as a switch for wireless traffic to and/or from a wirednetwork. The wireless switch 104 is not necessarily wirelessly connectedto anything. Each of the APs 106 could be wire coupled to respectiveswitches such that each switch is wire coupled to only a single AP. So,although the one or more APs 106 is depicted as a plurality in theexample of FIG. 1, it should be understood that the number of APs perswitch is implementation- and/or embodiment-specific. An AP and thewireless switch 104 could be combined into a single device. However, inthis description, the functionality of an AP is differentiated from thefunctionality of a switch by acting as if the APs and the wirelessswitches are distinct devices.

The wireless switch 104 may or may not have all of the tools to managewireless stations and the UAP mesh locally. For example, there may beadditional management (e.g., AAA servers) further upstream from thewireless switch 104. Since it is not critical where these services takeplace beyond the wireless switch 104, for illustrative simplicity, it isassumed that the wireless switch 104 handles all of these functions,either locally or by utilizing upstream components. For this reasons,the figures (other than FIG. 1) do not depict components furtherupstream from the wireless switch 104.

Wireless data may include, by way of example but not limitation, stationassociation data and RF environment data. The station and RF data isused by the wireless switches 104 to support features including, by wayof example but not limitation, roaming, auto channel selection, rogue APdetection, intrusion detection and the launching of countermeasures. Thewireless switch 104 may share wireless data with other wireless switches(not shown).

The wireless switch 104 controls the APs 106 (and the APs in the UAPmesh 108). In an embodiment, the APs 106 include radio transmitters andreceivers (e.g., transceivers) that are used to provide wireless networkconnectivity for users and station access to the functions of thewireless switch 104. Within an IEEE 802.11 context, a station is anyIEEE 802.11 entity or the equivalent in other related standards, and itmay be roaming or stationary. It should be noted that this definitionmay include APs.

In the example of FIG. 1, each of the APs 106 anchors at least a portionof the UAP mesh 108 to the wired network. The APs 106 may be treated asborder devices between the wireless switch 104 (or other upstreamcomponents of the system 100) and the UAP mesh 108. This enables moreefficient use of wireless resources because proxy address resolutionprotocol (proxy ARP) may be used to enable the APs 106 to answer ARPrequests on behalf of a remote device (e.g., a UAP for which an APserves as an anchor to the wireless switch 104).

In a non-limiting 802.11 implementation, each of the APs 106 supportsswitching packets from a radio interface to a wired interface as astandard 802.3 frame. The AP switching path may or may not support802.1q tagged packets and may or may not support MAC or user-based ACLs.(Port, VLAN, or VPORT based ACLs may or may not be required.) It may bedesirable for an AP to support local switching and overlaysimultaneously. However, even if it does, it is not a requirement thatpackets should be switched locally and in overlay mode simultaneously.For example, a given VLAN on an AP may be switched either locally or inoverlay mode.

In the example of FIG. 1, the UAP mesh 108 is intended to depict aplurality of potentially discrete APs that do not have a wiredconnection to the wireless switch 104 or to the APs 106. That is why theAPs in the wireless mesh are referred to as “untethered.” Any station inthe UAP mesh 108, whether a UAP or some other wireless station, isanchored to the wireless switch 104 by the AP 106 and zero or more UAPsthat make up a chain of nodes from the station to the AP 106. An AP thatis closer to the wireless switch 104 in the chain may be referred to asanchoring downstream stations. For any given station, the path from thestation to the wireless switch 104 may be referred to as a spanning treebecause the UAP mesh 108 should not allow loops for traffic passingbetween a station and the wireless switch 104.

When a UAP in the UAP mesh 108 is brought online, it will attempt toreach the wireless switch 104 through a path that is optimal. (Note:Although an optimal path is desired, it may or may not be accomplishedin practice, depending upon the implemented algorithm and/orenvironmental factors). There are multiple metrics for measuring thedistance of a UAP from one of the APs 106. For example, the metric maybe time. That is, the amount of time it takes for a packet to travelbetween the UAP and the AP anchoring the UAP. Although such a metric maywork fine, it will typically vary depending upon environmental factors,such as traffic congestion or degraded received signal strength. Forsimplicity, the metric used herein is the number of hops between the UAPand the anchoring AP (AAP), with the understanding that this is but oneof many potential metrics. Thus, if a UAP is one hop away from the AAP,the UAP may be referred to as a one-hop UAP. In general, a UAP may bereferred to as an N-hop UAP where the UAP is N hops from the AAP.

Advantageously, UAPs of the UAP mesh 108 may include an AP-localswitching engine embodied in a computer-readable medium. An AP-localswitching engine may make use of a station switching record (SSR) todetermine how to switch a given message unit (e.g., a packet, frame,datagram, etc.). This enables at least some traffic to be efficientlyswitched within the UAP mesh 108. Moreover, advantageously, some trafficmay be tunneled back to a switch, while other traffic is locallyswitched. Which traffic is tunneled back, and which traffic is locallyswitched, is an implementation-specific decision that becomes availableby using the teachings described herein.

The SSR may include any information available at an upstream switch. Ina non-limiting embodiment, the data available to the switch followingstation association and authentication includes station MAC, VLANnumber, VLAN name, a local switch flag, a tagging flag, radio port,radio tag (used to map the radio port to the VLAN), ACLs (e.g., ingressand egress ACLs to be mapped to the station MAC), and/or a proxy-ARPflag. (Note: the proxy-ARP might only be honored if local switching isenabled.) In an illustrative embodiment that enables local switching fora particular VLAN (other examples are described later with reference toFIGS. 3A to 3D), the local switch flag is set to TRUE if local switchingis enabled for the AP and the AP is connected to the VLAN specified byVLAN name. The tagging flag is set to TRUE if the station's VLAN isreachable through a .1q tag. When this flag is TRUE, the VLAN-number maybe taken as the .1q tag value. With this information, the AP can createa VLAN and add the specified radio ports and wired ports to the VLANwith the specified tag values. The AP then sends the packet of learningfrom its network port to potentially update any intermediate switches.

It will be appreciated in light of the description provided herein thatalthough aspects of the claimed subject matter are described relative toIEEE 802.11 standards, and that certain embodiments have particularfeatures that are implemented within the 802.11 context, the claimedsubject matter itself is not limited to 802.11 networks and maygenerally be applied to any applicable wireless network; and to theextent that future technological enhancements might obscure thedistinctions between wireless switches, APs, and/or stations, theclaimed subject matter is understood to include components providing thefeatures of such switches, APs, and stations independently of how theyare packaged, combined, or labeled.

In an illustrative embodiment, the UAP mesh 108 is created from aspanning tree. Each station in the UAP mesh 108 attempts to reach thewireless switch 104 along an optimal path. Assuming the optimal path ismeasured in the number of hops to the wire, if a first station's trafficpasses through a UAP and along a path from there to the wire, a secondstation's traffic that passes through the UAP will take the same pathfrom there to the wire. Since all stations take the optimal path, thestations may be represented as edge nodes of a tree where the AP at thewire is the root node. Thus, the AP mesh acts as a spanning tree foreach station. It may be noted that the spanning tree is greedy at eachnode, which naturally results in an efficient (perhaps even optimized)tree flow.

Reducing the amount of data that passes through a wireless node, such asa UAP, to a wired switch is advantageous at least in part becausewireless resources are relatively scarce. There is less need to conservewired resources. However, conservation of wired resources isnevertheless of value in many cases. Accordingly, the teachingsdescribed herein with reference to an AP may be applicable to a wiredAP, such as the APs 106 (FIG. 1) or to a wireless AP, such the UAPs ofthe UAP mesh 108 (FIG. 1). For this reason, in subsequent figures, an APmay refer to a wired or wireless AP, unless specifically identified as aUAP, which is wireless by definition (i.e., a UAP is an “untethered”AP).

FIG. 2 depicts an example of a AP-local dynamic switching system 200.The system 200 includes a wireless switch 202, an AP 204 coupled to theswitch 202, and two stations 206-1 and 206-2 (referred to collectivelyas wireless stations 206) wirelessly coupled to the AP 204. In anillustrative embodiment, the switch 202 provides the AP 204 with data inthe form of an SSR, which may include various data about the wirelessstations 206 (or, more generally, about wireless stations coupled to theswitch 202 through the AP 204). The SSR may be any data structure thatincludes data sufficient to facilitate native switching at the AP 204 orswitching at the wireless switch 202. The AP 204 decides whether tonatively switch using, by way of example but not limitation, SSID, theclass of data associated with the message, a VLAN associated with thestation sending the message, authentication data associated with theuser of the station sending the message, or some other factor.

In an illustrative embodiment, the wireless switch 202 knows that the AP204 is to perform local switching and to which VLANs (if applicable) theAP is connected. However, this is not an absolute requirement.

In an illustrative embodiment, the AP 204 is a layer 2 switch. In anillustrative embodiment, the AP 204 is coupled to the wireless switch202 via a tunnel 208. Thus, a message can be tunneled to the wirelessswitch 202 for layer 2 switching at the wireless switch 202. It shouldbe noted that it may be difficult to support multiple layer 3 protocols.So, by keeping the switching at layer 2, the system 200 need not have aspecific layer 3 protocol (e.g., IP). Moreover, if you have a layer 3backbone with policy in the routers, switching may defeat the policy.Advantageously, layer 2 switching at least reduces or eliminates theseproblems.

Since the AP 204 is a switching device, in an illustrative embodiment,the wireless switch 202 does not need to perform packet replication formulticast. Hence, a single multicast packet is transmitted from thewireless switch 202 to the AP 204 where it is replicated by the AP 204as needed.

In the example of FIG. 2, the station 206-2 sends messages 210, 212 tothe AP 204. The AP 204 treats the messages differently according to dataavailable to the AP 204. In the example of FIG. 2, the AP 204 sends themessage 210 to the switch 202 via the tunnel 208. In the example of FIG.2, the AP 204 performs AP-local switching on the message 212 and sendsthe message 212 to the station 206-1. It should be noted that themessage 210 could be switched at the switch 202 and sent to the station206-1. Some examples of the various factors that could be consideredwhen the AP 204 determines whether to switch locally or at the switch202 (e.g., by tunneling) are explored by way of example but notlimitation in the FIGS. 3A to 3D.

FIG. 3A depicts an example of a system 300A performing AP-local dynamicswitching per SSID. The system 300A includes an AP 302 and stations304-1 to 304-3 (referred to collectively as the stations 304). Forillustrative purposes only, the AP 302 includes two virtual APs (VAPs)306-1 and 306-2 (referred to collectively as VAPs 306). As one of skillin the relevant arts would know, an AP can broadcast or otherwise handlemultiple SSIDs. If the AP broadcasts or otherwise handles more than oneSSID, the AP may be logically treated as multiple APs; each of thelogical APs, associated with respective SSIDs, may be referred to as aVAP. In the example of FIG. 3A, the AP 302 switches traffic through VAP306-1 locally, if possible, and passes traffic through VAP 306-2upstream for upstream switching. It may be noted that, in a non-limitingembodiment, the AP 302 may perform AP-local dynamic switching per SSID,even if the AP 302 handles a single SSID; the determination is stilldynamic even if only one outcome is possible.

FIG. 3B depicts an example of a system 300B performing AP-local dynamicswitching per VLAN. The system 300B includes an AP 312 and stations314-1 to 314-3 (referred to collectively as the stations 314). Thestations are divided into VLANs 316-1 and 316-2 (referred tocollectively as the VLANs 316). For illustrative purposes only, thestations 314-1 and 314-2 are part of the VLAN 316-1 and the station314-3 is part of the VLAN 316-2. In the example of FIG. 3B, the AP 312switches traffic from VLAN 316-1 locally, if possible, and passestraffic from VLAN 316-2 upstream for upstream switching.

FIG. 3C depicts an example of a system 300C performing AP-local dynamicswitching per class. The system 300C includes an AP 322 and stations324-1 to 324-2 (referred to collectively as the stations 324). Forillustrative purposes only, the station 324-1 sends data traffic 326 andvoice traffic 328 to the station 324-2. In the example of FIG. 3C, theAP 322 switches voice traffic 328 locally, if possible, and passes datatraffic 326 upstream for upstream switching. Advantageously, this mayenable faster transmission times for voice traffic, which tends to bemore time-sensitive than data traffic, while maintaining centralizedcontrol of data traffic.

FIG. 3D depicts an example of a system 300D performing AP-local dynamicswitching per user. The system 300D includes an AP 332 and stations334-1 to 334-2 (referred to collectively as the stations 334). Each ofthe stations 334 has a respective associated user 336-1 to 336-3(referred to collectively as the users 336). The users 336 and an AAAengine 338 are depicted for illustrative purposes only, to representAP-local dynamic switching based on user authentication (e.g.,AAA-driven switching). In the example of FIG. 3D, the AP 332 switchestraffic from the station 334-1 locally, if possible, because the user336-1 is allowed to do AP-local switching. However, the AP 332 passestraffic from the station 334-3 upstream for upstream switching becausethe user 336-3 is not allowed to do AP-local switching. Advantageously,this may enable faster transmission times for certain users, whilemaintaining centralized control of other users. By way of example butnot limitation, the users allowed to do AP-local switching could beemployees, while those not allowed to do AP-local switching could beguests. As another example, the users allowed to do AP-local switchingcould be employees of a first company, while those not allowed to doAP-local switching could be employees of a second company where thefirst company has superior (or at least different access rights.

The examples of FIGS. 3A to 3D are intended to provide only a subset ofthe possible techniques for implementing AP-local dynamic switching. Thetechniques, whether illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3D or not, could be usedalone or in combination with other techniques, whether illustrated inFIGS. 3A to 3D or not.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of an AP 400 capable of AP-local dynamicswitching. The AP 400 includes a processor 402, an optional Ethernetinterface 404, a radio 406, a dynamic switching module 408, and astation switching record (SSR) database 410 coupled together via a bus412. It may be noted that the various components could be coupled viasome means other than the bus 412 without deviating from the scope ofthe teachings provided herein. The Ethernet interface 404 is optionalbecause, for example, the AP 400 does not use Ethernet, the AP is a UAPthat does not have a wired interface, or for some other reason. Theradio may be an 802.11 radio, or some other wireless radio.

In an illustrative embodiment, the dynamic switching module 408 isimplemented in a computer-readable medium, such as non-volatile storageand/or memory. The SSR database 410 is also implemented in acomputer-readable medium, such as non-volatile storage and/or memory. Inoperation, portions of the dynamic switching module 408 may be loadedfrom non-volatile storage into memory, and executed by the processor402. In an alternative embodiment, the dynamic switching module 408 mayhave a dedicated processor (not shown). Whether the processor is sharedor dedicated, the dynamic switching module 408 and the processor may bereferred to collectively as a dynamic switching engine.

In the example of FIG. 4, in operation, the AP 400 receives from anupstream switch an SSR associated with a downstream station. The SSR isstored in the SSR database 410. The downstream station may beoperationally connected to the AP 400 through a wireless link, eitherdirectly or indirectly through intervening nodes of a wireless mesh. Thedynamic switching engine uses the SSR to determine whether to performAP-local switching for traffic received from the downstream station atthe AP 400, or to send the traffic upstream toward the upstream switch.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart 500 of an example of a method for AP-localdynamic switching. In the example of FIG. 5, the flowchart 500 starts atoptional module 502 where data associated with a wireless station isreceived. The data may be received at, for example, an AP. The module502 is optional because instead (or in addition), it may be possible touse data associated with traffic to make determinations regardingwhether to AP-locally switch the traffic, as is described shortly.

In the example of FIG. 5, the flowchart 500 continues to module 504where Layer 2 traffic is received from the wireless station.Advantageously, since the traffic is Layer 2, the system may operateusing any Layer 3 protocols (e.g., IP), or even multiple Layer 3protocols.

In the example of FIG. 5, the flowchart 500 continues to decision point506 where it is determined whether to Layer 2 switch the trafficlocally. The determination as to whether to switch the traffic locallymay be made using data associated with the wireless station (see, e.g.,module 502 or data associated with the traffic itself. For example, thewireless station may be authorized for AP-local switching because thewireless station is associated with a particular VLAN. As a secondexample, the traffic may have a relatively high priority, such as voicetraffic often has. If the traffic has a relatively high priority, thedetermination may be made to switch locally to get the traffic to itsdestination more quickly. It may be noted that in the second example,the module 502 is optional.

In the example of FIG. 5, if it is determined that the traffic is to beLayer 2 switched locally (506-Y), the flowchart 500 continues to module508 where the traffic is Layer 2 switched locally, and to module 510where the traffic is sent toward its destination. Having switched andsent the traffic, the flowchart 500 ends.

In the example of FIG. 5, if it is determined that the traffic is not tobe Layer 2 switched locally (506-N), the flowchart 500 continues tomodule 512 where the traffic is Layer 2 tunneled upstream. Presumably,the traffic is switched further upstream. Having Layer 2 tunneledtraffic upstream that is not to be switched locally, the flowchart 500ends.

As used herein, an AP may refer to a standard (tethered) AP or to a UAP.Where a distinction should be drawn, an AP may be referred to as a“(tethered) AP” or a “UAP,” as appropriate. As used herein, the term“embodiment” means an embodiment that serves to illustrate by way ofexample but not limitation.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a processor coupled toa memory and that is configured to execute a dynamic switching module;and the dynamic switching module implemented in a non-transitorycomputer readable medium, and configured to be coupled to a radio and astation switching record (SSR) database storing an SSR associated with afirst wireless station that is operatively coupled to an access point(AP) that defines a first virtual access point and a second virtualaccess point; the dynamic switching module configured to send a signalsuch that (1) when the first wireless station is operatively coupled tothe first virtual access point, traffic received by the radio from thefirst wireless station is Layer 2 (L2) switched locally via the firstvirtual access point to a second wireless station connected to the AP,and (2) when on the first wireless station is operatively coupled to thesecond virtual access point, the traffic received by the radio from thefirst wireless station is L2 tunneled upstream via the second virtualaccess point to the second wireless station, the traffic including apriority characteristic of the first wireless station, the prioritycharacteristic being associated with a sender of the traffic.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein, in operation, the SSR is received overthe radio from an upstream source.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein,the SSR includes data selected from at least one of a station mediaaccess control (MAC), service set identification (SSID), virtual localarea network (VLAN) name, authentication, authorization and accounting(AAA) data, and user data.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thedynamic switching module is configured to send the signal such that thetraffic is L2 switched locally over the radio to a downstreamdestination.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic switchingmodule is configured to send the signal such that the traffic is L2switched locally over the radio to an upstream destination.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic switching module is configuredto send the signal such that the traffic is L2 tunneled upstream overthe radio for switching at an upstream switch.
 7. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the dynamic switching module is configured to be coupled toan Ethernet interface.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, inoperation, the SSR is received over the Ethernet interface from anupstream source.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the dynamicswitching module is configured to send the signal such that the trafficis L2 switched locally or L2 tunneled upstream in accordance with thesignal over the Ethernet interface.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7,wherein the dynamic switching module is configured to send the signalsuch that the traffic is L2 switched locally over the Ethernet interfaceto an upstream destination.
 11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein thedynamic switching module is configured to send the signal such that thetraffic is L2 switched locally over the Ethernet interface for switchingat an upstream switch.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstvirtual access point and the second virtual access point are eachassociated with a respective service set identification (SSID), an SSIDof the first virtual access point is different from an SSID of thesecond virtual access point.
 13. An apparatus, comprising: a processorcoupled to a memory and that is configured to execute a dynamicswitching engine; and the dynamic switching engine configured to becoupled to a wireless switch and an access point (AP) that define afirst virtual access point and a second virtual access point and isconnected to a first wireless station; and the dynamic switching engineimplemented in at least one of a processor or a memory, the dynamicswitching engine configured to determine whether to (1) Layer 2 switchtraffic locally at the AP via the first virtual access point to a secondwireless station connected to the AP based upon the first wirelessstation being operatively coupled to the first virtual access point or(2) Layer 2 tunnel the traffic upstream via the second virtual accesspoint toward the wireless switch for upstream switching to the secondwireless station connected to the AP based upon the first wirelessstation being operatively coupled to the second virtual access point,the traffic including a priority characteristic of the first wirelessstation, the priority characteristic being associated with a sender ofthe traffic.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the prioritycharacteristic is based on a characteristic of a target of the traffic.15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the dynamic switching engine isconfigured to Layer 2 switch traffic locally at the AP if the trafficincludes voice data.
 16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the firstvirtual access point and the second virtual access point are eachassociated with a respective service set identification (SSID), an SSIDof the first virtual access point is different from an SSID of thesecond virtual access point.
 17. A method, comprising: defining, at anaccess point (AP) that is operatively coupled to a first wirelessstation and a second wireless station, a first virtual access point anda second virtual access point; based on the first wireless station beingoperatively coupled to the second virtual access point, Layer 2tunneling traffic from the first wireless station upstream via thesecond virtual access point to a the second wireless station; and basedon the first wireless station being operatively coupled to the firstvirtual access point, Layer 2 switching the traffic from the firstwireless station AP-locally via the first virtual access point to thesecond wireless station, the traffic including a priority characteristicof the first wireless station, the priority characteristic beingassociated with a sender of the traffic.
 18. The method of claim 17,further comprising: receiving data indicating the prioritycharacteristic of the first wireless station; and determining whether toAP-locally switch the traffic using the data associated with the firstwireless station based upon the priority characteristic.
 19. The methodof claim 17, wherein the priority characteristic of the first wirelessstation is based on a characteristic of a target of the traffic.
 20. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the first virtual access point and thesecond virtual access point are each associated with a respectiveservice set identification (SSID), an SSID of the first virtual accesspoint is different from an SSID of the second virtual access point.